IEK-3 Report 2011: Climate-Relevant Energy Research

Emonts, B.

Book	PreJuSER-22764

IEK-3 Report 2011: Climate-Relevant Energy Research

Emonts, B. (Editor)

2012
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH Zentralbibliothek, Verlag Jülich
ISBN: 978-3-89336-809-9

Jülich : Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH Zentralbibliothek, Verlag, Schriften des Forschungszentrums Jülich : Energie & Umwelt / Energy & Environment 149, 238 S. (2012)

Please use a persistent id in citations: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/4702

Abstract: The period under review here – 2009 and 2010 – is characterized by a far-reaching and radical transition to new research fields and structures. This process culminated in October 2010 with the official amalgamation of the Jülich research fields of energy and climate, and the formation of the new and dynamic Institute of Energy and Climate Research. This move united the six institutes focusing on energy and two on climate with the systems analysis with the technology evaluation project group. It aimed to focus activities in specific fields of work, identify common topics for in-depth cooperation, and to generate joint R&D results as solutions to the challenges of the future. The advantages of this concept were demonstrated in 2009 in the form of a PhD thesis jointly supervised by the two research areas on the topic of hydrogen emissions and their impacts on Arctic ozone depletion, which analyzed the risks of a global hydrogen economy. It was then decided that cooperation should be consolidated in these fields. This synergy between energy and climate research at Jülich is globally unique, and is only reflected in part in existing centers for energy and environmental research. In this context, solutions to the growing problem of climate change are also being intensively sought. One possible solution involves the large-scale integration of renewable energy sources into the electricity market and the introduction of electric mobility in the transportation sector. However, considerable research and development efforts are required to provide the vital energy storage technologies of the next generation. These are the challenges that the Helmholtz centers address using their pertinent expertise. Within the framework of the energy storage and hydrogen initiatives, they receive additional funding from the Helmholtz Association (HGF) to implement sufficient R&D measures to help industry provide the key technologies currently lacking for a sustainable energy supply. The formal project conception and proposal for the two initiatives were completed during the period under review by the competent scientists at IEK-3, evaluated by the HGF Senate Commission and recommended for funding. R&D activities on H2 system solutions began in January 2010 and will run for five years. Work on lithium-ion batteries began in January 2011 and will continue for four years. Driven by the desire to adapt existing industrial infrastructure, the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has shown huge commitment over the last few decades to introducing new sustainable technologies. Fuel cells and hydrogen play a key role in this concept. The EnergieAgentur NRW provides substantial support in the transfer from research and development to the market and implementation. This includes assistance in relation to networking, demonstrating the state of the art in research and technology, as well as sharing information at conferences, workshops and working group meetings. After the 4th German Hydrogen Congress in 2008, the NRW Ministry of Economics appointed me Chairman of the 18th World Hydrogen Energy Conference 2010 (WHEC 2010) and entrusted me with its scientific coordination. This was a challenge that I readily accepted, as did the scientists at IEK-3 who assisted me with the detailed work. This involvement in WHEC 2010 in Essen, with almost 2,500 participants and 17 scientific contributions from IEK-3 employees, considerably increased the visibility of IEK-3 and its scientists in the field of hydrogen and fuel cells. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the employees involved in WHEC for their dedication and for their contributions to the conference, without which the 18th WHEC 2010 would not have been such a great success. [...]

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